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Sony PlayStation 2

Sony PlayStation 2

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Trivia

By the time the PS2 was released in 2000, the PlayStation brand was a household name. Selling well from launch, the PS2 was another success for Sony. Strong third party support and backwards compatability ensured a wide variety of games.

After release users reported a variety of problems including DVD playback and the infamous laser problem, where the machine was unable to read blue discs. This problem was so widespread that in America a class action lawsuit was filed against Sony.

2003 saw the Japanese only release of the PSX which was capable of recording video on DVD-R discs and featured either a 160 GB or 250 GB hard drive. The PSX was visually very different from the PS2. A smoother white case that looked somewhat like a VCR replaced the grooved black case of the PS2. The PSX also had an updated user interface, similar to that of the PSP.

In 2004 a slimline version of the PS2 was released, not without its own problems. Because of the smaller case an external power supply was used, a number of which were recalled due to the possibility of overheating. The slimline version also featured an Ethernet port and integrated modem.

Despite these problems the PS2 was extremely popular, selling more than 115 million units world-wide to date according to Sony. It has been suggested this is an artificially high figure though, as some users report having owned as many as four or more replacement machines due to the problems with the laser.